Ch. 15 Unwed Parents & Prospective Adoptive Parents

           

        Keeping a family together and happy at the same time is a lot of work.  In today’s society it seems that maintaining a functional family takes much more work than in the past.  One of the reasons is the stress of living in modern society.  Over the last two decades it has come to the attention of the government that families not only in America, but all over the world are experiencing greater levels of stress (Michael M. Seipel, p. 300, 2012).

Some causes of family stress have been linked to financial pressures.  In an era of worldwide economic problems, many people are finding that supporting a family is becoming increasingly difficult. 

With the many problems that people must cope with in today’s world one might ask, “How can mothers and fathers work together to utilize their roles in the home to lesson financial stresses?”

Doug and Kristine, a mature couple who I bumped into on the way to work, were kind enough to answer this question for me.  Their comments included the following:  “If a man is a good provider financial problems are lessened.  When money becomes tight, it can be extremely helpful if the wife is prepared to bring in additional income to help alleviate financial stress.  If husbands and wives work well together to fulfill their respective roles within the home stress is reduced because everyone is doing their part.  It’s important to not be selfish and to put your family first.”  According to Doug and Kristine, all of these things contribute to a more stable and happy home.

 If children are to grow up in a healthy home without excessive stress, parents must come together and do all they can to create an emotionally and financially secure environment.

            Tom Bass and L.C.S.W. put it well when they said, “Children become what they are in large part because of the confidence and competence that parents find and create in the parental experience.  An effective parental partnership is perhaps the single most crucial factor in achieving that goal. Likewise for children, the most important element in their becoming healthy, solid, and secure individuals is having two parents who have formed and forged an effective parental partnership.  Parenting, like marriage, is a proactive process that couples must think through together, creatively sustain, and nurture as an entity in itself. (Tom Bass & L.C.S.W., The Alliance for Early Childhood)”

When parents work together as true partners to provide for their children both emotionally and financially, stresses are reduced and families have a greater chance of remaining intact.

Links to Consider…

http://www.ccainstitute.org/why-we-do-it-/facts-and-statistics.html

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_adimpact.pdf

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/impact_parent/